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(No Model.)

0.v A. LIBBY.

BARREL HEAD ISTRENGTHENINGDEVIOE. No. 267,091. Patented Nov. 7, 18 82;

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

OLIVER A. LIBBY, OF LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JAMES W. BENNETT, OF SAME PLACE.

BARREL-HEA D-STRENGTHENING DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 267,091,,dated November 7, 1882,

Application filed August 14, 1882. (No model.) A

To all whom at may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER AJLIBBY, of Lowell, in the county of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Devices for Strengthening Barrel-Heads, of which the following is a specification.

Myinvention relates to a device forstrengthening the heads of hogsheads, barrels, casks,

to and similarly-constructed receptacles intended to contain fermented or aerated liquids, said device being placed Wholly out of contact with the contents of said receptacles, and also re lates to the means of securing said device to said heads.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a section in perspective of a hogshead, barrel, or cask to the head of which the strengthening device is attached. Fig. 2 is a plan of such a device attached to such a head. Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the head end of the bolt used to attach the device or plate to the head, the full lines showing the head of a T- boltand the dotted lines showing a circular head.

a a are staves of a barrel, A. B are hoops;

G, the head, formed of pieces 0 c c, doweled together by pins D, all in the usual manner.

It it well known that the heads of hogsheads, 860., containing beer, cider, or other fermented 3o liquors frequently burst by the fermentation and expansion of the contents of such hogsheads, although these heads are commonly made of oak, and are from two to three and a halt inches in thickness.

burst they are broken across the grain, near the middle of the head usually, and the middle piece of the head (when there are three such pieces, as is commonly the case) is most likely to be broken, beingheld in place only by the crozing at its ends and by the dowelpins which connect it to the other pieces of the head. The contents of the hogshead or barrel are mostly lost when the head bursts, and whatever remains in the barrel is likely 5 to be spoiled before it can be used. In addition to the pecuniary loss sustained by the owner, very serious injuries to the persons of bystanders from this cause are quite common. Even when the bursting of the barrel is prevented by pricking holes in it, a considerable part of the contents is lost. It is almost al- When the heads 0- ways the heads that give out when such a barrel bursts, it being comparatively a rare occurrence that the staves spread apart and allow the contents to escape between them, and when the latter accident happens it is due to a defective or broken hoop.

The means I use to prevent bursting of the heads are a plate, E, of metal, preferably of malleable iron, and of greater thickness and strength in the center, (but not thick enough in any part to reach beyond the chines or ends of the staves,) and flat on one side, and bolts F. Theflat side of. the plate E is placed against the outer face of the head 0, and the plate is secured to the head by bolts F, each passing through the plate and nearly through the head 0 from near the outer edge of the head to a pointabout half-way between the edge and the center of said plate. The advantage of putting the bolts into the head 0 and plate E at an angle, as above described, is that a truss is thereby formed by said plate and bolt to strengthen the head, and that the bolt has a firmer hold on the head. The bolt may be a round-headed or a T bolt, (see Fig. 3, in which the round bolt-head F is indicated by dotted lines and the T- shaped head F is indicated by full lines,) and should have, for use on an ordinary beer-hogshead, a diameter of about half an inch in theshank. A hole, G, is bored through the head from the under beveled side or edge, 0, in the direction shown in the drawings,and this hole is then mortised out or counterbored to receive the head F or F of the bolt F. A 8 washer, H, of cork or similar slightly-elastic material, is placed around the shank of the bolt, and against the head thereot', before said bolt is put in place. The bolt is then pushed through the hole G and through a hole, Gr, cast or drilled in the plate, and the plate and barrel head are drawn closely together by screwing a nut, F on the outer end of said bolt, said outer end being provided with a screw-thread, and theopening G being coun- 5 terbored or cast larger at its outer end to form a seat or shoulder, G for the nut to draw against. The mortise or opening G which receives the head of the bolt F, is then filled over said bolt head with a wooden plug, I, to too prevent the contents of the barrel from coming in contact with the head of the bolt. Turn- -ing the nut F compresses the washer H between the head of the bolt and the head of the barrel, and prevents the contents of the barrel from leaking out around the bolt in case the plug I is lost out of place. The bolts may be two or more in number; but I prefer to use four bolts with the form of plate shown in the drawings. In any'case the bolts should be placed at equal intervals. The plate may be circular, of course; but I prefer to make it of the four-pointed shape shown in the drawings, to economize material and lessen the weight.

It will be seen that the'metallic plate and bolts do not come in contact with the contents of the barrel, as such contact would spoil the contents in most cases, and if beer or cider were contained in the barrel they would rust off the heads of the bolts and loosen the plate. Inasmuch as the plate does not project beyond the ends of the staves, and is in its largest diameter smaller than the head of the barrel, it is evident that the plate will not interfere with handling the barrel in the ordinary manner that is, lifting the barrel by the chines or setting the barrel on end.

The device above described is very cheap and durable, and will outlast the barrel.

I claim as my invention- 1. The plate E and means of securing the same to a barrel-head, U, wholly outside of the inner face of said head, as and for the purpose specified.

2. The combination of the plate E, provided with holes G, the bolts Fand nuts F and head 0, having the counterbored hole G and the 5 plug I, as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of the plate E, the bolt F, the washer H, of slightly-elastic material, the head 0, provided with the counterbored hole G, and means of drawing the head of said 40 bolt against said washer and compressing the same, as and for the purpose specified.

I. The combination of the plate E, the head 3, and the bolts F, connecting said plate and head, and running from points near the outer 5 edge of said head to points about half-way between the outenedge and the center of said I plate. as and for the purpose specified.

5. In combination with a barrel for containing fermented or aerated liquids, and having Wooden heads of the usual construction, aheadstrengthening device and means of securing the same to the outer face of a head of said barrel, said strengthening device and securing means being adapted to be placed wholly between the inner face of said head and the ad jacent outer ends of the staves of said barrel, as and for the purpose specified.

OLIVER A. LIBBY.

Witnesses:

ALBERT M. MOORE, I. WESTWOOD. 

